PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2021, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (10): 1613-1625.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2021.10.001

• Articles •     Next Articles

Spatial expansion mode of manufacturing firms in big cities and its impact on firm efficiency: A case study of Beijing listed firms

ZHANG Keyun1,2(), PEI Xiangye1   

  1. 1. School of Applied Economics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
    2. Information Center for Social Sciences, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
  • Received:2020-12-25 Revised:2021-06-05 Online:2021-10-28 Published:2021-12-28
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(72003190);National Social Science Foundation of China(19CJY002)

Abstract:

Firms spatial expansion is of great significance to enterprise efficiency and regional coordinated development. Based on the data of listed manufacturing firms in Beijing and their subsidiaries from 2009 to 2018, this study examined the enterprise spatial expansion model through the changes of spatial distribution of subsidiaries, and analyzed the change of the distance between headquarters and subsidiaries brought by expansion. Furthermore, the dynamic panel measurement method was used to empirically test the impact of the change of geographical distance and economic distance between headquarters and subsidiaries on the efficiency of manufacturing enterprises with different expansion modes. The study found that: First, during the study period, the scale of expansion of the sample listed manufacturing firms in Beijing was relatively large, and the spatial expansion mode has changed from hierarchical diffusion to a combination of hierarchical diffusion and contagious diffusion, with contagious diffusion as the dominant mode. The geographical distance between headquarters and subsidiaries showed an upward trend, and the economic distance first decreased and then increased. Among these firms, technology-intensive firms and non-state-owned firms tend to experience hierarchical diffusion, while non-technology-intensive firms and state-owned firms tend to undergo contagious diffusion. Second, for the firms with contagious diffusion as the main expansion mode, geographical distance between headquarters and subsidiaries was negatively correlated with firm efficiency, but the efficiency of firms that did not take contagious diffusion as the main mode of expansion was not affected by geographical distance. Third, regardless of firm expansion mode, economic distance between headquarters and subsidiaries was positively correlated with firm efficiency. Therefore, different types of manufacturing firms should choose different expansion strategies.

Key words: hierarchical diffusion, contagious diffusion, geographic distance, economic distance, dynamic panel, Beijing